


Come to Bed

by Yellow14stoner



Category: Yellowstone (TV 2018)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:40:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26801551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yellow14stoner/pseuds/Yellow14stoner
Summary: Beth can't sleep after her attack orchestrated by the Becks.
Relationships: Beth Dutton/Rip Wheeler
Kudos: 29





	Come to Bed

Behind Us Only Grey

Beth didn’t fall back to sleep the morning that Rip went back to the bunkhouse. She missed his even breathing and strong, warm body lying next to her. It gave her something to concentrate on and made her feel safe. But alone, in her own bedroom, every noise made her on edge. She was sure another attack was coming. It could be in the way the house was too silent or it could be with any of the startled ninnies that she heard from the barn. 

After she pretended to sleep for another hour, Beth finally pushed back the covers on her bed and sat up. Her whole body hurt and her movements were slow but at least she hadn’t been shot. That pain was reserved for her rescuer. She wouldn’t complain. It could have been much worse.

Pulling on a warm nightgown and her thick coat, Beth slipped her feet into her favorite pair of work boots and made her way to the front porch. If she couldn’t sleep, she may as well keep watch. If she knew what was coming then she could make a plan. Prepare for the best possible outcome. 

As she sat outside and smoked, she allowed silent tears to trickle down her face. There were few times in her life where she had ever felt so scared and it took something from her. She had always prided herself in not allowing fear to rule her but she was worried this incident would not be so easy to move past. 

When the sun began to rise over the mountain in front of her, Beth wiped her face and slowly made her way back into the bedroom. The rest of the house would be waking soon and they wouldn’t know about her sleepless hours. She dressed for breakfast and made a stop in the kitchen to request another smoothie from Gator. She would join the family at breakfast and pretend nothing was wrong, aside from the rainbow of dark colors and swelling marring her face.

After breakfast, everyone wandered outside which once again left Beth alone in the great big house. She attempted to settle her mind on her work, even going so far as to turn on the laptop but she couldn’t seem to focus on even logging into it. Closing the top, she pulled on her thick coat again and headed outside. She would walk down to the barn and watch the work being done there. At least there would be people around even if it wasn’t the one person she needed. 

Her mind didn’t travel far from either her attack or the man that saved her from it. She had been hurt by his sudden exit to the bunkhouse but she understood it in some ways. They had never spent the night together in all of their rendezvous even when they were young teens. They had always gotten what they wanted and then retreated into their own safe corners. She wasn’t exactly sure why it had always been that way but she was sure that it would have been her to set that precedent. Maybe she didn’t want to have to depend on him even though that was exactly what she had done almost since the moment they had met. 

Walking down the dirt lane, she looked up to survey who was doing what. She was surprised to see Rip standing next to her father at the coral. He was supposed to be in bed. He should be in bed. She headed that way but hung back from actually engaging anyone in conversation. She simply wanted the illusion of company, not the actual work of keeping it. 

Watching Rip work Tate's horse and talk to the boy both warmed and tore at Beth’s heart. Her feelings for the big, strong cowboy had always run deep and she knew she’d never shake him. But did she deserve him? Definitely not. He was too good for her. His devotion to her and to her family was unwavering. She only wished she could offer him everything the world owed him. 

“Turns out, he’s just a big ole teddy bear. Who knew?” 

Beth’s introspection of Rip and her feelings for him was interrupted by her father who must have spotted her starring. She backed away from the fence and turned to flee. She was feeling much too vulnerable and only wanted to hide, in plain sight. Stalking off to the barn she spotted Jamie and instantly knew he was a good target to absorb some of the low blows she was holding inside. 

Later that night

Dinner had come and gone. Beth had sipped soup while the rest of the family ate their steak and potatoes. She nodded at the appropriate times and answered when spoken to but her mind wandered as it had been doing all day. 

Now she found herself sitting in a corner chair in her dark bedroom starring at the locked window. Every creak of the house made her turn her head and every noise outside had her startling slightly. She could feel her heart racing and knew she was on the verge of a panic attack. It was both a curse and a blessing to live in such a guarded shell as hers. No one knew of her exhausting internal struggles as she went about the day but she needed help to make it through the night. 

With her mind made up, Beth grabbed a flashlight from a drawer in her room and pulled her coat on over her nightgown. Once again pulling on the warm boots, she quietly made her way to the front door. She found it unlocked and where in the past she would have thought that totally normal, today it irked her. She should have checked the doors herself before she retired to her room.

Pulling the door closed behind her, Beth stepped down off the porch and switched the flashlight on. Aiming it at the ground so as not to alert anyone, she slowly made her way down toward the bunkhouse. She knew that come morning, either her or Rip would be embarrassed to have her found there but if he refused to stay in the lodge then she saw no other solution. 

When she finally reached the door to the bunkhouse, she slowly pushed it open, praying it wouldn’t wake any of the sleeping cowboys. Stepping inside, she switched off the flashlight and pulled out her cellphone to use for light. She made her way around the table and instinctively walked toward Rip’s bottom bunk. 

Beth stopped when she stood beside the sleeping form of the man who had saved her life, literally, and probably figuratively if she thought about it hard enough. The spotlight from the barn outside was shining from the high window on the opposite wall and allowed her just enough light to be able to put down her cell and look at him.

He was laying on his back, the blanket only coming up to cover his waist. His top half lay exposed to the night with only a t-shirt hiding his wounds. There wouldn’t be much room for Beth to slip in beside him but that didn’t bother her. She wanted to be as close to his strength and comfort as she could get without hurting him. 

Beth took her shoes off first and then slipped out of her coat, allowing it to rest on the floor. She softly raised the edge of Rip’s blanket, trying her hardest not to disturb him. She started to crawl in but the weight of her body shifted the mattress and alerted the cowboy. 

“Shhh,” she whispered, “it’s just me.” She finished getting into the bed and turned to snuggle up against Rip’s left side.

“Beth? What’s wrong? Are you alright?” He groggily questioned the woman as he painfully slid over to allow her more room.

He wrapped his left arm around her slender frame and she threw her leg over top of his to get comfortable. Reaching up, she gently kissed his cheek and then lay her head down on his shoulder.

“I can’t sleep without you Rip. I-I'm sc-scared to be alone.” Beth hesitantly admitted her weakness. “Will you just hold me for a little while, p-please?”

“I got ya, darlin.” He kissed her forehead and tightened the arm around her. He dozed back off almost immediately and amazingly Beth was right behind him.

When the clock struck 3:30 am, Rip began to rouse out of habit. He slowly blinked his eyes open and took in the feel of his injured body. The bullet wounds were still thumping painfully but maybe a little bit less today. He was more concerned about the numbness of his left arm and the heaviness of that side of his body in general. Turning his head to assess the problem, Rip realized that Beth was laying in his arms. 

What he thought had been a dream turned out to be reality and he realized the implications of her being found in the bunkhouse by the boys would be disconcerting. Softly, he began running his hand up and down Beth’s back.

“Beth, Beth darlin.” He tried rousing her sleeping form, surprised to find her so deeply slumbered.

“Come on, Beth,” he whispered a little more loudly as he rubbed her back more firmly. “The boys will be getting up before long. I’m not sure you want them to find you in here, baby. Your father wouldn’t like it.”

Beth sighed sleepily while coming awake. It couldn’t be morning already. She had been sleeping so well. A wonderful, peaceful and dreamless sleep. The healing kind that her mind and body so desperately needed. She felt more than heard the rumble of Rip’s chest as he spoke to her. Looking up into his eyes, she smiled softly. 

“Is it morning already?” She whispered into the darkness.

“It’s a cowboy's morning anyway, let’s get you up to the house Beth.” Rip started to sit up and extract himself from around her warm, pliable form. When he looked down into her eyes, he noticed the hurt seep into their blue depths. Shit. He hadn’t meant to hurt her. He was only trying to protect her privacy.

“Don’t get up,” she told him coldly. “I can manage on my own.”

Beth stood from the bunk and pulled on her boots followed by the coat. She angrily, and quietly, stomped to the front door. As quickly as he could, Rip followed suit. He pulled his boots on and grabbed his coat as he hurried after her retreating form. He didn’t even bother to grab his hat.

Outside the bunkhouse, Beth was stopped, searching her pockets for the flashlight she knew was there somewhere. When she found it, she switched it on, and started up the hill to the house. A hand, suddenly jutting out to grasp her arm had her yelping and instinctively swinging toward the direction it came from. 

Rip caught her hand and held it. “Shh, Beth it’s just me.” The haunted look on her face when he raised her chin to look at him made Rip ache. He should have known that she wouldn’t be able to push this tragedy down so easily. 

“Oh, Beth. Baby I’m sorry.” He caressed the side of her face with a gentle touch and wasn’t surprised to feel the wetness of her tears. 

“I’m fine, Rip. Go back to bed or start your cowboy morning or whatever you were going to do. I’m fine.”

She tried to pull out of his reach but he held her fast. He wrapped both of his arms around her back and held her trembling body in his tender embrace. He whispered loving endearances in her ear and rubbed her back until she finally gave in to his comfort. Beth wrapped her arms around Rip’s neck and held on for dear life. 

She sobbed in his arms for quite a while before she began to calm down. Rip loosened his hold on her and moved his hands to swipe at the tears on her face. 

“Come back to bed Beth.” He took her hand and turned to tug her back to the bunkhouse. When she remained rooted, he turned toward her again with a questioning raise of his eyebrow.

“I can go back to the house,” she said into the dark. “I don’t want to embarrass you in front of the wranglers.”

Rip chuckled low in his chest and shook his head. “Embarrass me? Hell I’ll be the envy of the bunkhouse darlin. I only woke you because I didn’t think you’d appreciate their jealous ogling.” He tugged her back into his embrace. 

“I could never be embarrassed with you on my arm, Beth. Listen to me, I’m never prouder than when you choose me, ya hear. I told you the other night, I’m tellin ya now. I love you Beth, I love you and I’m here, whenever you need me.” He leaned forward slightly and placed the most tender of kisses on her bruised lips. “Come to bed, baby.”

The tough daughter of the formidable Dutton clan gave the right-handle wrangler a watery smile and a slight nod of her head. She allowed him to lead her back to his bunk and slip her coat off of her shoulders. She watched him drop his coat next to the bed and crawl in after his shoes hit the floor. 

He turned to lay on his left side and held the blanket up to welcome her next to him. Settling on her side, with her back to his chest, Beth let out a contented sigh. His big, strong arm wrapped around her middle and she had never felt safer. 

“Rip?” she whispered. The tightening of his arm around her let her know he was listening. “I love you too, Rip.”

He smiled into her hair and kissed the back of her head and then the pair drifted off to sleep. They never even heard the cowboys waking and preparing for the day. They would have been surprised to see their smiles at the sight of them and their attempts to quietly get outside without disturbing them.


End file.
